Page 4 of Don't Quit (The Reluctant Heart 5)
Chapter Two
Richard Heart
I should’ve known better than to listen to my kid brother Clark. There was never anything easy or quick about driving to Hope Valley to drop something off to my brother Kenneth and his wife Shanda. Now I was stuck transporting a homemade fruit-of-the-forest pie back to my parents’ home in Boston. The real kicker was the bumper-to-bumper traffic I was now stuck in. I wasn’t a country-drive type, but it would surely beat sitting in this highway/parking lot.
And they say driving in Boston sucks. This isn’t any better.
My GPS provided me an alternate route. I didn’t care where it was redirecting me to, as long as I could take my foot off the brake and put it onto the gas. Once I was off the highway, it was smooth driving. Just a few more miles and I could hop back on to the highway and be past all that crap.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” There was a tow truck with its flashers on right in front of me and some irate guy yelling at some puny driver about half the guy’s size. It was none of my business. I slowly made my way past the two, but at the last minute I realized that the driver wasn’t some guy getting his ass cursed out, but a woman. Hell, no!
My brothers and I were raised to defend women. I pulled over and got out of my sports car. “Is there an issue here?”
The guy spun around and said, “This bitch is fucking taking my car.”
Clenching my fist and said, “I’m sure there is a reason for that. Did you ask the woman why?” I couldn’t believe this guy. My father would’ve torn into me for calling a woman a bitch or anything even remotely offensive. Of course, I’d been tempted a few times. Some of the women I dated might not have been the nicest of people, but I always walked away before things got out of control. Maybe this guy needs to as well.
“Like hell I will. This bitch”
“Woman. Or if you’d prefer, lady. But those are the only two acceptable options,” I snarled. It would be my only warning.
He shot me a look as though he was about to challenge me. It would’ve been a mistake. Heart men are not fighters, but we also don’t back down. I didn’t go around advertising my black belt in Hapkido, but I was confident this asshole wouldn’t come out victorious against me. I returned his gaze intently, waiting for his move.
With a huff he said, “This lady is taking my car.”
Better.I turned to the woman and asked, “Can you explain to this gentleman why?”
She crossed her arms and said, “Not that I need to, but his vehicle is being repossessed for non-payment.”
“What the fuck, lady. I’m only five months behind. I told the bank I’m going to pay when I can,” he said.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t deal with payments or credit issues. I’m hired by the bank to confiscate this vehicle. You might want to try calling the bank again on Monday when they open. They can tell you how to gain possession of the vehicle again.” In a firm tone she said, “If you two wouldn’t mind, I’d like to continue with what I was doing.”
It would be so easy to get back in my car and drive away. If she had further issues, she could call the police. But my gut told me as soon as I pulled away, he’d revert to being an ass. But she didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength about this guy.
“Seems there is nothing more you can do here,” I said to him.
“And you’re just going to let her take off with my car?” he asked.
“No. Your lender is,” I said flatly. “You can stay and watch or go inside, but she’s leaving with the vehicle.”
The guy turned and started to walk away. I heard him say under his breath, “Fucking bank.”
At least he wasn’t blaming her any longer. “At least now you can finish in peace,” I said to her.
“You didn’t need to intervene, but thank you anyway,” she said.
“You’re welcome. Would you like me to stay until you’re through?” I offered.
She looked towards my car and said, “You might not want to. Not with that thing at least. You’re a bigger target than I am in this neighborhood.”
“It’s a mode of transportation. Not as valuable as life.” It was easy enough for me to say, but that guy might have another opinion. “However, I would suggest that you load that vehicle quickly or we both might find ourselves in a situation we’d rather avoid.”
She nodded and grabbed the large hook and chain off the back of the flatbed, slid underneath the front of the car and crawled back out. Moving levers on a panel, she began to haul the car up onto the bed. Once it was in place, she lowered the bed and climbed up into the flatbed to finish securing the vehicle. I half watched her and the onlookers. Thankfully, no one approached. She was about to climb back down, and I reached up, extending my hand. At first, I thought she would brush it away, but she placed her tiny fingers in mine.
With her feet back on the ground she reached into her coat pocket and said, “If you ever need a tow, let me know.”
“J’s Towing. I can’t believe your boss sends you out to places like this all alone.”